Forgotten
by Yamcha'sBabyDoll
Summary: What if Remy never came back from Antarctica? What if he died? How would that effect the X-Men? And who is this strange girl? Read to find out!
1. When It Started

**Disclaimer's: **I don't own the X-Men. Nicoletta is a character of my imagination. This whole story is slightly out of tune to what happens in the comics. It has a surprise twist in it, maybe in Chapter 3 or 4. These will be short chapters. Please read and tell me if I should continue. Thanks!

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I suppose I should give you the background for this story. We all know that when Gambit is left in Antarctica, he somehow comes back to the X-Mansion. I'm honestly not sure how, but he does. What if he didn't? What if he was... **_DEAD_**? How would it effect the X-Men, especially Rogue, who loved him and had to leave him to die? Read and find out...

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It's been 20 long years since Remy LeBeau (Gambit to friends and foe alike) was left to his certain death in Antarctica. The effect it had on the X-Men was traumatic.

Rogue was the first to leave. Even though everyone knew that Remy wanted to be left out there, Storm heaped guilt onto Rogue's already tormented conscience and drove her away. Rogue also left because she wanted to. There were too many memories at the Mansion.

Jean and Scott moved out next. They stayed close and still taught at the school, though. They just wanted some more privacy. After a few years, they had a son and left the school for good.

Storm was heartbroken over the loss of her friend Remy. She left soon after Jean and Scott. She didn't tell anyone where she was going, and no one has heard from her since.

Beast left to become a practicing doctor, his dream. The Professor helped him get into a university that accepted mutants and he graduated from there to become a real doctor. He kept in touch with the Professor often.

The students slowly graduated and drifted away. The ones who stayed to be teachers didn't stay too long. Some of them returned to their native countries and some stayed in the USA. The Professor couldn't keep track of them all.

Surprisingly, Logan, the great wanderer, stayed. The Professor and he stayed at the school. They took in a few new mutants every now and then, but soon, they gave it up and closed the school. Cerebro was put away and Logan and the Professor stayed alone at the school

This is when our story begins. These were the conditions under which Nicoletta came to the school. Why was she here? Who was this young girl with the haunting power and secretive past?

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Cryptic, I know, but I hope it got your attention! If you read on, I think you'll like it. I hope you will, anyway. Please read! 


	2. Rogue Comes Back

**Disclaimer's: **I still don't own X-Men, but I hope you like my fic!

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Rogue had just entered the supermarket when she though she saw Wolverine. When she had first left the Mansion, she had seen Remy's face and the others around every corner. Now it was starting again. She must really be missing everyone.

She blinked, but there was Logan. He grinned at her. She raced towards him, almost knocking over a half a dozen people. She was afraid that when she reached him, he'd fade away.

When he remained solid, she launched herself into the air and was caught by a very real, very solid Wolverine.

"Logan, what are you doing here?" Rogue asked. She knew that Logan didn't live in Georgia. The only person she had talked to since she left was Beast, who had outfitted her with his latest medical miracle: a power-negating bracelet. She could touch people without fear now, but it hadn't made her as happy as she thought it would.

"Rogue," Logan said, "There's a rather unique situation going on at the Mansion. The Professor is recalling all of the old X-Men that he can find. We have a new mutant on our hands that seems convinced that the world is going to end sometime very soon."

"What?" Rogue gasped, "How could they know?"

"Her power is prophecy," Wolverine said, "The Professor mind-searched her and it's all legitimate."

"How did she find you guys?" Rogue asked, "The school's been closed for almost 15 years."

"Apparently," Logan said, "Her parents were students there and told her about the school and us, but she won't say who her parents are. It could be a lot of people. The Professor couldn't keep track of all the students after they left."

"How old is she?" Rogue asked.

"She's 17," Logan said, "She could be anyone's kid." He paused, "Are you willing to come back?"

Rogue's throat closed up and she had to clear it before she could answer, "Oh, Logan, you know I'd love to, but when I left things were so--"

He stopped her, "The only one who blamed you was Storm. Rogue, we can't find her anywhere. She left after you did and didn't keep in touch. Neither did you, for that matter. We found you through Beast." He held out his hand to her, "Will you come back with me?"

Rogue slowly nodded and took his hand in her ungloved one. They walked out of the store together.

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"Is there anyone you need to tell you're leaving?" Logan asked. They were at her apartment. She would leave her car in the garage and ride back with him.

"No," Rogue said, "There's just me living here."

"Well, yeah," Logan said, "But anyone you need to call? Friends, boyfriend?"

"No," Rogue said again, "There's just me. Even without my powers, I never really wanted anyone."

He shot her a look as they exited the house and got into his car, "You mean, there was never anyone you wanted **_but him_**."

"What?" Rogue said. Her head whipped towards him, "Remy's not the reason I never found a boyfriend."

Logan glared at her, "You smell like you're lying."

Rogue's cheeks flushed and she looked down.

Logan's voice softened, "I know you loved him, but he loved you, too, and he'd want you to find someone to be happy with."

"I know he loved me," Rogue whispered, "And I left him there to die."

Logan didn't say another word the whole drive to New York.

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Well, how am I doing? Maybe you think it's boring, but I can guarantee you, it will get better! Like I said, this doesn't really go with the comic book version, but it might be OK that way! Please keep reading! Thanks!


	3. Nicoletta. Who is this girl?

**Disclaimer's**: I still don't own X-Men...

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"It's just like I remember it," Rogue said.

Logan pulled up in front of the Mansion and they got out of the car.

The door opened and a person flew at Rogue so fast that she was just a blur of black hair.

"Jubilee?" Rogue gasped.

"Yep," Jubilee said. She backed away from Rogue's embrace, "Do you like it?"

Jubilee had grown much taller, but the most striking thing was her hair. Instead of the short, spiky style Jubilee had loved, her hair fell like a straight, black waterfall to her waist.

The 2 girls walked into the Mansion with Wolverine behind them. Jean, Scott, Beast, and the Professor were sitting with a young girl.

Everyone but the latter came over to her. Rogue found herself smothered in hugs. How could they hug her after what she did? She found herself staring into Jean's brilliant eyes.

Jean smiled and said, "We never blamed you. It wasn't your fault."

Rogue felt her eyes well up with tears. She needed to hear those words so much. Coming from Wolverine, they didn't count. Jean hugged her again.

Finally, the Professor said, "Rogue, I'd like you to meet Nicoletta."

The girl stood up and turned around. She was a beautiful kid. She had long, strawberry blonde hair and deep, dark eyes. Rogue was struck by the feeling that she knew this girl.

Apparently, the feeling was returned. When Nicoletta's eyes met hers, she turned dead white.

"You," Nicoletta whispered.

"Do I know you?" Rogue asked, "You seem familiar."

"No," Nicoletta said. Her color was returning to normal, "There's a picture of all of you at my house. I recognized you by your hair."

"Did I know your parents?" Rogue asked. She had been friends with many of the students. Nicoletta didn't look exactly like any of the ones she knew, but that didn't mean anything.

"Yes," Nicoletta said, "You all probably knew both of my parents. They were both students here."

"Chuck," Wolverine growled from the door "We all know that the girl won't tell us her parents name because she doesn't want us to know. Why don't we talk about what the girl _will_ tell us?"

"Nicoletta," Professor X said, "Why don't you tell the others about your prophecy?"

"Well," she said, "My parents discovered my power about a year before they got divorced. It started with little things; I could tell if someone was coming for a visit, what song they would play next on the radio, unimportant things. But then, I started to get flashes of other, not so unimportant things; When my cat was going to die, even when my parents were getting a divorce. I told them about my flash and they told me they were going to tell me about the divorce just before I mentioned it." She paused and shot Rogue a positively hateful look. What was going on?

"Well?" Wolverine said. He noticed the look, too, and wanted to get on with the story.

Nicoletta continued, "I stayed with my father after the divorce. My mother was very bitter about the divorce and the reasons behind it. They were divorced 4 years ago. One night, 2 months ago, I woke up from a terrifying flash. A tidal wave of blood was chasing me. I ran into a red-brick mansion, praying that the walls would hold up. So many building were in ruin already. The mansion seemed to be covered in a protective bubble. When the tidal wave had passed, I looked out the window. The mansion was the only thing left standing. I knew that the mansion and the people in it were the only ones who could stop the coming danger. That's why I'm here."

"How did you recognize the Mansion?" Scott asked.

"I told my father about the dream the next morning," Nicoletta said, "He and my mother had never told me about you before. My Dad knew right away that my dream was about the School and the X-Men, so he sent me to you."

"Well, Nicoletta," Jean said, "A tidal wave of blood doesn't give us much of a clue what we're up against."

"Call me Nikki," she said, "I understand what you mean. I just wanted to warn you about the danger so you could prepare to fight it."

"And you have," The Professor said, "You can return to your father now and give him our best, whoever he may be."

"You don't understand," Nikki said, "I want to help fight."

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How is it now? The twist is coming up in the next chapter, so don't stop now! Keep on reading! Thanks!


	4. Nicoletta is...

**Disclaimer's: **Blah-blah, blah-blah-blah-**_BLAH!_**

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After Nikki's statement, pandemonium reigned supreme. Scott, Logan, and Beast were protesting heatedly.

"You have no training!"

"--can't fight with fortune telling!"

"Your powers aren't of a fighting nature and--"

"You want to get yourself killed?"

Then, all at the same time, "Professor, you're not seriously thinking about this, are you?"

The Professor merely said, "We'll see. Spend some time in the Danger Room and we'll see how it goes."

The guys' jaws hit the floor.

Rogue understood what the Professor was doing. After getting beaten up in a simulation, Nikki probably wouldn't want to go anywhere near the battle...

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That didn't prove to be the case, though. While Nikki had no fighting powers, she had had extensive martial arts training, plus a sense of grace and agility.

"My parents me how to fight and trained me in martial arts," Nikki said, "And when they couldn't teach me anymore, they sent me to a school. I also took gymnastics."

Rogue still couldn't shake the feeling that she knew this girl. Maybe she had seen her picture somewhere. Watching Nikki run through her martial arts routine gave her a sense of deja vu. She had probably trained with her parents at some point in time. Which students had she sparred with?

There was ne more thing no one could understand. Nikki was perfectly courteous to everyone else, even flirting with Wolverine (much to Rogue's annoyance), but she never spoke to Rogue unless she had to.

Rogue was reminded of when she and Nikki first met. Nikki had looked horrified and angry to see her. Maybe she hadn't been friends with Nikki's parents. If they disliked her, then that could be why Nikki disliked her, too.

"I wish I knew more about Nikki's parents," Rogue told Logan, "She looks so familiar."

"Yeah," Logan said, "Her fighting style is familiar."

"Only you would base your opinions on how the girl fights," Rogue said.

"She's a very good fighter," Logan said. He pulled out a cigar.

"Yeah, I noticed you watching her," Rogue said, "And don't smoke that around me! It's disgusting."

Logan put the cigar back in his jacket pocket. Rogue looked at him and asked, "Isn't she a little young for you?"

"Feeling jealous?" Logan asked with a grin.

"No!" Rogue snapped, "Disgusted! She's only 17, Logan! You were too old for an 18 year old 20 years ago. You have to be at least 58 by now! That's sick!" She started to get up.

Logan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, "Are you jealous?" he asked her again.

Rogue looked at him and said, "Yes, damn you! Are you happy now?"

"No," he said. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, "Now I am."

Rogue pulled away and felt her eyes well up with tears.

Logan looked at her and said, "You can't keep waiting for someone who's never coming back."

Rogue looked away.

Logan put his arm around her and said, "Remy isn't coming back, Darlin'. He's gone."

"I know," Rogue said.

"Would you take me for your runner up?" Logan asked.

"No," Rogue said, "I think you deserve first place for waiting for me." She leaned over and kissed him.

"How touching," Nikki's sarcastic voice came from the doorway, "Cyclops sent me to find you 2. We have a Danger Room simulation in 5 minutes."

"Well, then," Rogue said, "I guess we'd better get to the Danger Room." She and Logan exited with their arms around each other.

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All through the simulation, Nikki kept going after Rogue. She was attacking her with everything she had during sparring. Rogue kept deflecting the blows. She didn't want to hurt the little brat.

When one of Nikki's punches nearly hit her in the face, Rogue decided she had had enough of this. She charged Nikki and knocked her into the ground. Her foot was then planted in the middle of Nikki's throat, cutting off her air supply. This was a favorite move of hers.

Rogue the got the shock of her life. Nikki's arm shot up and grabbed her wrist. Then, her legs shot up and wrapped around Rogue's waist. She then jerked her legs down, knocking Rogue over, and pounced. Her arms formed an X across Rogue's throat, holding her down. After a few seconds, she let go of Rogue's throat and got up.

Rogue's head was spinning. How many times during a sparring simulation had she heard, "I got you now, petite." and then been pinned to the ground in the exact same way?

The fighting style, the way Nikki walked, and even though she didn't have his accent, her manner of speaking were all the same.

Rogue leapt up and grabbed Nikki's shoulder, spinning the girl around to face her. She found herself sinking into eyes a lighter shade of brown than his-- but there it was, that tint of fiery red in the center. As Nikki stared at her, the red lit up, just like his used to when he was mad.

"Who are you?" Rogue whispered.

"Rogue?" Logan asked.

The edges of Rogue's vision were going gray.

Logan put his hands on Rogue's shoulders and tried to turn her around, "Darlin', what's going on?"

Rogue couldn't tear her eyes away from Nikki's, "Don't you know?" she asked.

"Know what?" Jean asked. She looked concerned.

"The Professor must," Rogue said dreamily, "He mind-searched her."

"Rogue what is it?" Logan asked.

"Can't you tell?" Rogue asked. The gray turned into black, "This is Remy's daughter." The blackness closed in and Logan caught her as she fell...

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There was your twist! REMY'S ALIVE! He has a daughter and had a wife who you'll find out more about in the next chapter. Why didn't he come back to the X-Mansion after Antarctica? Why didn't he come back for Rogue? Find out and keep reading!


	5. Remy's REALLY Alive...

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Disclaimer's: I don't own them...

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Rogue struggled out of the hazy blackness. At first, she couldn't remember what was going on. She sat up and opened her eyes. Someone (probably Logan) had moved her from the Danger Room to her bedroom. When she saw that the whole team, including the Professor, was gathered around her bed, she was embarrassed.

Then, she saw Nikki and a torrent of other emotions hit her.

"Thank God you're awake," Jean said, "We were worried. Hank told us you needed to wake up naturally and we didn't know how long it would take."

"When someone has passed out from shock," Hank said, "Their bodies need time to adjust, unless it would endanger their health. Since you were breathing and your heart was beating, I thought you could use the rest. Drink this," he held out a cup of orange juice, "It will help."

Rogue waved it away, "Where is he, Nikki?"

The whole room went silent.

Jean spoke, "Rogue, she can't be Remy's daughter. She's only 17. Remy's been dead for 20 years. The timing isn't right."

"Don't you understand?" Rogue asked, "This means he's alive! That Swamp Rat has been alive all this time _and he never came back to me_!"

"Rogue," Jean began gently.

Logan cut here off, "Dammit Rogue, don't do this to yourself! Don't give yourself a nervous breakdown. Don't do this _to us_!"

"Where is he, Nikki?" Rogue repeated.

Nicoletta opened her mouth, but everyone started talking over her.

"She can't tell you where he is, honey. He's dead."

"Beast, can't you give her something?"

"To do what? You can't give someone something to make them reasonable. She's suffered from a shock. Give her time, man!"

"Dammit, Rogue! I though we were making progress. I'm tired of fighting away a ghost just to be with you!"

"Don't shout at her! She's suffered a shock! She's just a little confused right now!"

"Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He went back to his home when he came back from Antarctica."

Everyone's head turned to Nikki.

"That's why I couldn't talk about my parents," Nikki continued, "He couldn't come back and he didn't want to hurt you, so he just... played dead."

Rogue burst into tears, "I knew it, _I knew it_, **I knew it, _I knew it!"_**

Jean and Jubilee tried to calm her down. Scott was completely at a loss. Beast kept opening his mouth, but no words came out. Logan just turned away.

Rogue turned to the Professor, "You knew! Why didn't you tell us? Tell me?"

"It wouldn't have done any good," The Professor said, "Gambit wished to remain unfound. You all had gotten on with your lives. Look at how it's upset you."

"I would've been happy if I would've known earlier," Rouge cried, "But now, I just _hurt_!"

Nikki started to get up. Wolverine pushed back down into the chair hard enough to slam her head into the wall, "Seems to me that you have another story to tell us."

"I guess I have to," she said. Everyone looked at her, "Where should I start?"

"Why didn't he come back?" Rogue asked.

"He couldn't," Nikki said, "When he realized that he wasn't going to die out there, he realized he had taken the cowardly way out and had forced you all to do the same. His honor wouldn't allow him to go back. It's not the way of the thieves."

"His damn Guild of Thieves honor and pride!" Rouge said.

Nikki glared at her, "What would you know about them?"

"I can recite them!" Rogue yelled, "You never take the cowardly way out. Always pay your dues. And the most important one, never abandon your allies, just incase they pick your pocket in return. He broke one of the more petty rules and to try to make up for it, he broke the most important one! _He abandoned us, **me**_!"

"All right," Wolverine said, "We all know the Cajun is a jackass. So he went back to his hometown. Then what happened?"

"One of his friends showed up on his doorstep. She heard that he was alive and came looking for him. They got married 2 months later. Then, I was born," Nikki said.

"And?" Logan said.

"And what?" Nikki yelled, "My parents got divorced and it's all your fault!" She yelled and pointed at Rogue.

"How is it _my_ fault?" Rogue asked, "I didn't even know he was alive! What could I have done?"

"The picture of you in my house, the one that I used to recognize you," Nikki said, "Has been on my father's bedside table since before my mother found him. He never took it off after the wedding. It stayed there. Mother got sick and tired of always having to compete with your memory for his love. She told him that he had to put the picture away. He told her no and she left. I haven't seen her since!" Nikki burst into tears, "It rained for 3 months. Do you know how upset she was?"

While Jean comforted Nikki, Rogue was focusing on the last few words out of Nikki's mouth, "You said it rained for _3 months _after your mother left?"

Logan turned at met Rogue's eyes in shock. He knew what she was thinking.

"That would explain her hair," Rogue thought out loud, "White and red make pink and strawberry blonde is about as close as that will get."

Now everyone was staring at Rogue.

"How do you know what color my mother's hair was?" Nikki asked her.

Everyone looked at Nikki.

"Nikki," Jean said, "What was your mother's name? What were her powers?"

Nikki looked at them and said, "Most kids inherit one of their parents powers. I didn't. Daddy had plasmolisis and Mother could control the Weather. Daddy used to call her his weather witch. Her name was--"

"Ororo Munroe," Rogue whispered, "Storm!" She burst into tears all over again.

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Hey, guys! There it was! The truth is out! Storm somehow knew Remy was alive and instead of telling everyone and easing the pain, she ran off and married him and inadvertently gave Rogue another nervous breakdown! Keep reading!


	6. Let's Talk About Nikki

**Disclaimer's: **Still don't own them. My story will be progressing rather slowly from this point on. There's so many different things I could do with it. I really want to put Rogue and Logan together, even though some reviewers think it's stupid. Remy can't just waltz back into her life; I wish he'd waltz into mine *sheepish grin*. Anyways, I need some ideas on how to get Rogue and Logan together. I'm running on empty, so I'm going to try this chapter out and you can tell me how it goes...

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The X-Men were in shock. How could Storm have found Remy, when no one else could? The answer was easy: No one bothered to look. They had all just believed he was dead. Storm kept looking. Rogue wanted to kick herself for not doing the same.

While everyone argued over the trivial point of how great it was that Gambit was alive, Rogue was having none of it.

"**_GET OUT_**!" she screamed, "Would you all just **_LEAVE ME ALONE_**?" Her sobbing upped a notch.

"That's right," Nikki said, "Cry all you want! Do you know how long _I've_ cried? How long my mother cried?"

Everyone fell silent. Rogue looked at Nikki quite calmly, then got up. She brushed a hand across Nikki's forehead, willing her power to the surface of her skin, Nikki fell to the ground. Beast scooped her up.

"Don't worry," Rogue said, "I just zapped her a little. She'll wake up soon. I wanted to see something." She closed her eyes and viewed the new thoughts that Nikki had left in her mind...

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A beautiful little girl, pigtails flying behind her, leapt into her Daddy's arms, "How's my angel?"

Mommy and Daddy were mad at her. She had told someone that her parents were mutants. She must never do that again.

Birthdays, holidays, all flew by in a daze of happiness. It was Daddy who was lit up most in her memories. She was Daddy's little girl...

**It could've been mine**, Rogue thought, **I could've been Mrs. Remy LeBeau**.

**_Then, the memories turned painful._**

"He's dead!" the same girl wailed, "I know it."

Sure enough, her beloved pet was dead. Her powers emerged in startlingly real dreams. She didn't want to go to sleep anymore...

Then, the already darkened life became suddenly darker. 

"You're getting a divorce." The girl announced in a flat voice, "When were you going to tell me?"

"Just before you mentioned it," Daddy said, "I'm sorry, angel. Your mother and I just don't love each other anymore."

"Speak for yourself!" the weather witch had cried, "I will always love you! You don't love me! All you can think about is your precious Rogue! You don't even know her real name!"

Daddy flushed and the girl asked, "You're divorcing Mother for her? That girl on your bedside table?"

"No," Daddy said, "I am not divorcing your Mother to marry this girl. That girl doesn't even know I'm alive and she never will. It's been too long. She's moved on, I haven't."

The girl's memories turned a hazy red of anger. Anger at her Father, whom she loved and trusted. Anger at her Mother for not being a better wife who would make her Father forget about this girl. Anger at herself. Anger, boiling rage at this girl who tore her parents apart.

Then, her vision came and her Father sent her to the only people who could help: the X-Men. Her shock and fury that that evil girl who ruined her parents marriage was one of them. She would have to work with this girl, but that didn't mean she had to like her. She wouldn't tell anyone who her parents were. Her Father had told her not to. Now, she knew his reasons.

Then,. that girl had known. Damn her own eyes, her Father's eyes, that had betrayed the secret. Now she had to tell..

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Rogue understood now. But Remy wasn't right. She hadn't moved on, either. Her life would always be incomplete. She wanted to go to him and tell him she loved him, but something stopped her. She knew she could never be Mrs. Remy LeBeau...

Chocolate eyes, dark eyes, no red in the middle, not like Gambit's. A sense of humor, a touch or kindness that only she could see. He never let anyone else see that he wasn't Mr. Tough Guy. She was the special one in his eyes. Those big eyes...

Logan's eyes..

She was in love with him. Well, this was a slightly upsetting turn of events. Her dream had come true. Remy was alive... And she no longer wanted him.

She opened her eyes and looked at everyone.

"Well?" Logan asked, "When are you going to see him?"

"It changes nothing," Rogue said, "He's still dead, Logan. This changes nothing between us."

"No," he said, "It changes everything. You may think you don't need him now, but I don't want to end up like Storm. I don't want you to always be thinking of him when you kiss me. I want all of you, not just the parts that aren't on hold for Remy LeBeau." He walked out of the room.

Rogue's eyes welled up with tears. She didn't want him to end up like Storm, either, and she didn't know if she had any control over whether it happened or not. Could she let go of Remy LeBeau for Logan? And could Nikki forgive her and Remy for what they had done to her life? She didn't think the answer to either of those questions was a yes.

Everyone left the room as once again, Rogue burst into tears.

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Well? Do you think I should have Logan and Rogue work it out or should the elusive Remy LeBeau come back into her life? And will they be able to sort it all out before the coming evil? I wish you people would tell me! I don't know. Read to see what I do, if anything. Thanks, Cayla.


	7. Rogue's Choice

**Disclaimer's: **Don't own them... I am on the horns of a dilemma. Some people want Rogue/Logan : Storm/Remy. Some people want Rogue/Remy and say the hell with who you put the other 2 with. I don't know what to do, so I'm going to write this story and however it unfolds, that's how the story will be, OK? As a matter of fact, I'll let Rogue decide =). Here it goes...

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Rogue let herself wallow in misery for about 10 minutes after everyone left, then calmed herself down. She had problems. Everyone does. Time to deal with it...

"I love Logan," she said.

"I love Remy," she said a moment later.

"And this sucks."

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Meanwhile, the X-Men were trying to figure out just how to deal with the sudden resurrection of their old teammate. 

"I can't believe Gambit's been live this whole time," Jean said, "And he never told us."

"All right," Scott said, "On to a slightly more prudent topic: The end of the world."

As usual, no one really cared about what Scott was saying.

"I wish we knew how to cheer Rogue and Nikki up," Jubilee said. Nikki had apparently fled to her room after waking up and had kicked everyone out.

"So, Wolvie," Jubilee said, "What's the deal with you and Rogue?"

"Nothing," Logan said shortly. Jubilee and the others knew better than to pry into his personal business, "And don't call me Wolvie. It sounds stupid."

"But there has to be something going on," Jean said, "The 2 of you have been spending a lot of time together recently."

OK, so the girls **are** the type to pry and they picked a bad time to do it.

"**_Nothing_**!" Logan yelled.

"Geez," Jubilee said, "Keep your shirt on. We were just asking. Besides," she said evilly, "It's not like you _love _her or anything. The rugged mountain man doesn't have feelings like that for other people."

"Yes," Jean said, taking up the joke, "You haven't seen each other for so long. It takes _time_ to love someone and Rogue has certainly had time to love Remy. We should all be happy for her, not be selfish and keep her to ourselves."

Logan growled, got up, and left the room. The door slammed behind him as he headed out to he woods.

"Was it something we said?" Scott asked. Jean smacked him with a pillow. Maybe the rugged mountain man could feel something besides lust after all...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue felt like screaming. Maybe she would. No, that would only bring everyone running and she didn't feel like dealing with them now. She decided to go to the Danger Room and work off a little of the frustration by killing a bunch of Gambit look-alikes.

When she wandered down into the hallway, she noticed a silence. Maybe everyone was gone. No, they were probably just trying to leave her alone. Good for them.

Rogue walked to the Danger Room, but it was in use. By Nikki. Rogue shut down Nikki's simulation and walked in. Nikki stared at her.

"What did you do that for?" she yelled.

"Well," Rogue said, "You looked like you were having trouble. Wanna spar together?" She hoped Nikki would say yes. They really needed to talk.

"No," Nikki said shortly.

"Well, then," Rogue said, "Why don't we go get some lunch? I'm starving and you must be, too. You were unconscious for lunch."

"Who's fault is that?" Nikki asked.

"Mine," Rogue said, "I just thought we could talk about all the things I saw in your mind. that's all." She started to walk away.

"Wait," Nikki said. She sighed, "Why not?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They made themselves sandwiches and took the back up to Rogue's room. Rogue figured everyone would be leaving her alone, so they would have some privacy.

"What do you want to talk about?" Nikki asked.

"I'm sorry," Rogue said, "I made your life a living Hell and I didn't even know about you."

Nikki was quiet before saying, "It's OK. My Father made my life a living Hell, not you."

"Don't blame him," Rogue said.

"Then who should I blame?" Nikki asked.

Rogue couldn't figure out how to say that she should blame Gambit, but that he was too cute and funny and annoying and sweet to blame, so she changed subjects.

"Nikki," Rogue said, "I want to go see your Father."

Nikki looked at her with scared eyes, "But he doesn't want you to know he's alive!"

"I know," Rogue said, "But he had to know he was taking that chance when he sent you here. I want to see him, Nikki. I **_need_** to see him, for my own peace of mind. I need to figure out my feelings."

Nikki was silent and Rogue went on, "I want to see him but I won't do it without your permission. I saw your address in your mind, but if you don't want me to, then I won't."

"Well," Nikki said, "If he was willing to ruin our lives because he loved you, then I guess he deserves to get what he wants."

"Thank you," Rogue said, "Tell the others where I'm going."

"No problem," Nikki said, "You can take my car. Wolverine seems a little protective of his." She tossed Rogue her keys.

Rogue caught them and ran out of the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Oh my God, Rogue thought, I'm really here!

She had driven like mad all day and night and finally, at 9:32 the next morning, she was outside Remy and Nicoletta's house.

I can't do this, she thought, I can't knock on that door.

Somehow, though, she did. 

The door opened slowly. Rogue stared. Those beautiful red on black eyes stared at her in equal shock. The dark red hair was still long, but threaded with gray at the temples. She couldn't speak.

"Cher?" Remy's eyes went wide.

"Remy," she whispered and walked through the open door to meet him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gambit led Rogue into the living room and they sat down on the couch.

"Why?" Rogue asked. She could feel tears filling her eyes, "Why didn't you come back to me? And don't give me that crap about your 'honor' like you did Nikki. You can't fool me."

"Oh, cher, please don't cry," Gambit said. He looked at her helplessly, "I couldn't come back."

"Then why didn't you at least tell us you were alive?" Rogue said, "I almost killed myself and you didn't even care!" The tears slid down her cheeks.

Remy reached over and wiped them away with his gloved finger, "I couldn't." he said simply.

"You can touch me, you know," Rogue said, "See this bracelet? It controls my powers, and I might as well not have for all I use it. But you don't know because **_you weren't there_**! I waited for you for 20 years because part of me never quit hoping and just as I gave up and found someone I love, you came back! **_Why didn't you just stay dead_**?" Rogue could feel herself coming apart.

"What would I have said if I came back?" Gambit said, "Hey, guys, I wanted to die, but didn't so now look how stupid I am? No, cher, I wouldn't do that."

"You and your damn pride!" Rogue yelled, "Why didn't you think of us?"

"Then, Stormy came," Gambit said, "She told me you had run off and that the team would probably disband. I felt so guilty that I didn't even think about coming back. I was just content with what I had."

Rogue quieted down, "Were you happy with your life?" Remy nodded, " Well, Remy, then I guess there's nothing else to say except I want to ask a favor of you."

"What is it, cher?" he said.

"I want you to do what you didn't do 20 years ago," Rogue said, "I want you to come back and help us save the world, as an X-Men."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan was pacing the living room. Rogue had called the day before and said that she and Gambit were coming back to the Mansion. When were they going to be here? He didn't know why he tortured himself. She had chosen the Swamp Rat. She would never be his...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"They're here!" Nikki yelled. She ran out to meet the car and flung herself into her father's arms.

"How's my angel?" he asked.

"Just fine, Daddy," Nikki said.

Rogue watched them and smiled. Maybe this had all been for the best after all. He truly loved this girl...

Everyone was thrilled to see Gambit. There were lots of hugs and all that sentimental stuff. Logan stood slightly apart from the others. When Remy walked over to him, Logan raised his hand in greeting and then walked away.

Remy was slightly confused until he saw Rogue staring after Logan's retreating back.

**__**

"...and just as I gave up and found someone I love, you came back!" Rogue's words came back to him. Well, well, well, 20 years certainly **had **changed a thing or 2...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan was just turning in for the night when a knock came on his bedroom door. He walked over and opened it. Rogue stood outside his room. He stared at her, confused.

"Well," Rogue said, "You sure haven't picked up any Southern hospitality. Can I come in?"

Logan stepped back and she walked into his room. He closed the door behind her.

"Can we talk?" Rogue asked.

"About what?" Logan asked, "Your new boyfriend?" He turned away. Rogue looked at him in shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and the Cajun," Wolverine said, regaining his cool.

"I told you," Rogue said, "This didn't change anything between us. I still love you, Logan."

Logan said nothing.

"I went to see Remy because I **_had_** to," Rogue said, "I needed to see if the sight of him sparked up any passion. It didn't. I was happy to see him alive and well, but that was all." She took Logan's hand, "He didn't make me feel the way you do."

"So what now?" Logan asked.

"Well," Rogue said. She turned her head away from his for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing, "Maybe you could help me put this bracelet to good use."

"Oh, really?" Logan said.

Rogue smiled and said, "I'm **your** Rogue."

He leaned over and turned out the lights, "Not yet. But in a few minutes you will be."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well? I hope all you Rogue and Gambit fans don't hate me. I really love the way this turned out. I just hope everyone else thinks so, too... Please keep reading, the battle hasn't even started yet!


	8. Then The Morning Comes

**Disclaimer's**: Don't own them... I would like to apologize to everyone who is upset about Rogue and Logan getting together, but when I was writing the part when Rogue got to Remy's house, I knew they could never be together. Everything had changed too much. They just weren't right for each other now. Again, sorry...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue woke up, comfortably settled in Logan's arms. When she looked up and saw he was awake, she lightly kissed his shoulder, which was where her head was rested.

"Good morning," he said.

"Morning," Rogue replied, "How long have you been up?"

"Maybe 15 minutes," he said.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked.

"You looked like you could've used the rest," he said. He shifted out of the embrace and said, "I'm gonna hit the showers, Darlin'."

"Me, too," she said.

"Logan!" Scott's voice came from the other side of the door, "It's time to get up." The door started to open. Rogue pulled the covers closer, "Breakfast is ready and we need to go to the Danger--" Scott's voice trailed off when the bed came into view.

Rogue felt her face flush, but Wolverine merely said, "Morning, Cyke. Don't you ever knock?"

Scott turned red, "Well, everyone else is already down at breakfast. They sent me to wake you 2 up."

Rogue realized with amusement that their leader was badly flustered as he stammered, "I guess I'll tell them that you'll be down soon and I guess I don't need to go to your room after all, Rogue."

Logan gave Scott a patient look, "Maybe if you left, we'd be down a lot sooner."

"Of course," Scott said as he exited the room. They heard him babbling all the way down the hall.

"I'd better go get clean clothes," Rogue said, getting up and pulling her nightgown over her head.

"Go ahead," Logan said "I'll see you at breakfast."

"I'd better wait until Scott is all the way out of sight," Rogue said.

"Why?" Wolverine asked, "You're covered up."

"Still," Rogue said, "I don't want to be the one to give our fearless leader his first heart attack."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Logan and Rogue got down to breakfast, everyone knew exactly what had happened. Part of being an X-Men meant no one minded their own business and everyone knew about your personal life before you did.

Breakfast was eaten in a respectful silence that no one bothered to break until, Nikki, who hadn't really been on the team long enough to understand the importance of keeping your mouth shut said, "Why are we being so quiet? I mean, we're happy for them and all, but is it going to be this quiet through training too? I don't see why we all just can't mind our own business."

"You haven't been here long enough to understand," Remy told his daughter, "This is how it was 20 years ago. Everyone knows, but no one will tell."

"Yeah," Nikki said, "But if everyone is being so discreet, why did Scott practically walk in on them?"

Scott almost choked on his toast and Rogue turned red yet again as Nikki continued, "I mean, put 2 and 2 together for God sake's! We all knew it was going to happen and probably will be happening just about every night!"

Scott, who was now choking freshly, got up from the table and wasn't seen until training.

"What kind of table manners did you teach that girl, Cajun?" Wolverine asked.

"Who said anything about manners?" Nikki said, "I was taught to be very honest."

"Now you gonna be taught about how honesty isn't always the best policy," Gambit said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Training was awkward. Very awkward. Scott couldn't look either Wolverine or Rogue in the eyes. Nikki was sulking because she had gotten yelled at by her Father. Rogue wasn't sure whether she could look Logan in the eyes, either. The others wisely kept their mouths shut.

After training, Nikki caught up to Rogue and said, "Sorry."

"It's OK," Rogue said.

"I really didn't mean any harm," Nikki said, "But I think I may have nearly killed Scott."

"Don't feel bad," Rogue said, "I think Wolverine and I almost gave him a heart attack."

"Why's he so embarrassed?" Nikki asked, "He's married! He knows what it's all about."

"That, my dear," Rogue said, "Is something we all keep quiet about, too."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So you still don't have any idea of what we're up against?" Scott asked Nikki. He seemed to have recovered nicely from his morning of trauma.

"No," Nikki said, frustrated, "You ask me that every day! The first thing I hear about how the world is going to end and how we can stop it, I'll let you know!"

"Calm down, angel," Gambit said, "We just want to be able to plan for this before this thing shows up on the doorstep."

"I know," Nikki said, "But I can't just _get _a flash. It comes to me when it _wants _to come to me."

"Well," Jubilee said, "A tidal wave of blood, to me, would symbolize a **violent** end. There's not too much we could do against a plague or universal fires or something. It has to be something we can _fight_ against. Otherwise, what good would the X-Men do?"

"You're right," Nikki said, "And it's going to be something big that will probably happen without too much warning and very soon. The biggest part of my dream was the urgency of finding you guys. We won't have to wait too much longer." Her face was grim, "I can feel _that _for certain."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone spent the afternoon together, just talking about things. They all pretty much got caught up on the past 20 years. The conversation turned to Storm.

"When was the last time you heard from her?" Jean asked Remy and Nikki gently.

They exchanged a look and thought, "About 2 years ago, Daddy?" Nikki asked.

"About," Gambit said. The look in his eyes said that it had maybe been even longer.

"She used to have me come visit," Nikki said, "But then she moved and we haven't heard from her since. I wish she were here."

"She would be a big help," Cyclops said, "She was a good team leader in the old days."

That killed the conversation. No one wanted to say things had been good until Gambit had 'died' and heap guilt onto him, but the words hung there unspoken. Everyone drifted off to bed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue stood outside Logan's door. She wasn't sure whether she should knock or not. What if she had misunderstood last night entirely?

Logan opened his door and said, "Come in, Darlin'. I could smell you and your doubts all the way down the hall. I love you."

Rogue went in and closed the door after her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, how was that? That was more a funny chapter than anything else. I about 2 more chapters, the X-Men will get their first taste of the Apocalypse, I promise. Keep reading, please!


	9. A Dream

**Disclaimer's**: Don't own them. I know you all hate me, but... **_THE END OF WORLD IS COMING!_**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A scream shattered the peaceful night air.

Logan jumped out of bed, audibly cursing. Rogue sat up in his bed and looked around. He was pulling on a pair of jeans and Rogue quickly pulled her nightgown over her head. They dashed out into the hall where the other X-Men were standing in confusion.

"What's going on?" Jubilee asked.

"Where's Nikki?" Gambit said. 

Everyone exchanged a look and made a break for Nikki's room. Logan threw the door open to reveal a terrifying sight.

Nikki was sitting up in bed, all color drained from her face. Her hands twisted the covers into knots. Gambit flew over to her bed and sat down. She didn't respond.

Gambit took her hands in his and said, "Nikki, what do you see? What's happening, angel?"

Nikki didn't respond. Tears were rolling down her face.

Jean walked over and laid her hand on Nikki's forehead. Her entire body stiffened and then she was thrown backwards!

Scott leapt towards her, "Jean!"

She sat up, "I'm OK. It just won't let me view her flash."

All of a sudden Nikki screamed, "**_THE BIRDS_**!" and fell over, nearly flying off the bed. Gambit grabbed her and said, "Nikki?"

Her eyes flew open "Daddy?"

"It's OK," Gambit said, "You're safe here."

"What did you see?" Scott asked, "What are we dealing with?" 

Everyone shot him a look, "The girl's just been, like, traumatized or something," Jubilee said, "Lay off!"

"What birds?" Scott asked.

Nikki looked at him and said, "Sparrows."

"The world is going to end by sparrows?" Scott asked, "I don't think birds could cause the end of the world."

"Why don't you tell us about the flash?" The Professor said, "Maybe it will mean something to one of us."

"It was a continuation of the other flash," Nikki said, "The one with the tidal wave of blood. When I walked outside, I told you everything except the mansions lay in ruins. But now, something had changed."

"What?" Scott asked. Jean kicked him.

"I thought that no living creatures could survive the tidal wave, but I was wrong," Nikki said, "Above all the ruins, perched on every pile of rubble, were sparrows. They were all looking at me. They scared me."

"Why?" Gambit said, "They were just birds."

"But why sparrows?" Nikki said, "They were **all** sparrows. I suppose if the birds had flown high enough, they could've escaped the blood, but why **just **sparrows? Why weren't there any other birds? **_Why sparrows_**?"

"Maybe the mutant we're up against can talk to birds or his code name is Sparrow," Jubilee ventured.

"Sparrows," Jean said, "I remember something about sparrows. Something about..."

"Psychopomps," Rogue said.

"Yes." jean said, looking at her, "All birds sparrows especially are psychopomps!"

"How about in plain English for the rest of the class?" Logan said, "What is a psychopomp?"

"Well, a psychopomp is anything that has a direct connection between the Unseen World, the Dead World, and the Living or Waking World," Jean said.

"Um, still not coming through," Jubilee said.

"Well," Rogue said, "Psychopomps can travel between 3 places: Dreams or psychic flashes, the Afterlife, and here, the Living or Waking World. They guide souls to the Afterlife, supposedly."

"Yes," Jean said, "How do you know all of that?"

"I read a lot," Rogue said.

"Why sparrows?" Logan asked.

"I'm not sure," Jean said, "You'd think any bird would do because of the wings. I would think a vulture would be better suited to the job."

"No," Rogue said, "It has to be a small, inconspicuous bird. One that's common, so no one would remark on it being there. If vultures flew around every dead body, people would start to notice."

"Well," Scott said, "As much as we loved the lesson on psychopomps, what does this tell us about the end of the world?"

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

"Nikki," Rogue asked, "How many sparrows were there?"

"I, there were billions," Nikki said, "Every available surface was covered. I couldn't see the sky at all. They were flying so thick! I was afraid to move because I might step on them. They covered the ground."

"Well," Scott asked again, more impatiently, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"One sparrow for each soul," Rogue murmured.

"What?" Logan asked.

"One sparrow for each soul," Rogue said, "Nikki thought there were billions, all at once. Everyone in the world will die, around the same time as each other. The end of the world isn't something we can hope to stop. It's going to happen worldwide."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, that little discussion now had everyone completely awake at 3:43 in the morning, so everyone went to get dressed and came down to eat a silent breakfast. Then they gathered in the living room.

"If we can't help," Jubilee said, "Then why did it bother to tell you to come find us?"

"We have to be able to help!" Scott said.

"We can't solve everything," Jean said, "Maybe this was just to bring us all back together before the end."

"But what could kill so many people at once?" Jubilee asked.

"God," Rogue said. 

Everyone looked at her, but she wasn't joking.

"Well, then," Scott said, "That ruins the psychopomp theory. I would think God would use angels to take us to the Afterlife."

"God doesn't forget even the sparrows," Nikki quoted under her breath, "Says so in the Bible."

"You guys can't mean to say Judgment Day is coming?" Scott said.

"Why not?" Nikki said.

"It's just not right!" Scott said, "God wouldn't tell you when Judgment Day is coming! No one is supposed to know that!"

"OK," Logan said, holding up his hands, "We don't need to get into a moral debate. We still don't know what will cause the end of the world. but apparently it's going to be big enough to do it almost all at once. What we need to focus on is if we _can _stop it, how are we going to do it?"

Everyone quieted down.

"This is pathetic," Logan said, "I shouldn't have to be the voice of reason. Red, why didn't you stop them?"

"You were doing such a nice job," Jean said, "I didn't want to spoil the moment."

Everyone laughed, but then sobered down quickly.

"Sparrows and psychopomps, what next?" Scott asked, "A bolt of lightning from a Greek God?"

A change went over Nikki's face briefly then went away.

Jean swiftly kicked Scott in the ankles. The lightning bolt thing had probably reminded Nikki if Storm.

"So....," Jubilee said, "How about we all go get drunk?"

"Not old enough to drink," Nikki said.

"I think we make an exception this once," Gambit said.

Everyone got up and headed for the dining room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

So, what do you think? Should the end of the world be coming in the next chapter? I think I have an idea on how the world is going to end, but it might be stupid, so I need to think about it some more. Any suggestions there would be greatly appreciated. Don't worry, I won't make it religious. I threw that in for some controversy. The X-Men don't talk too much about God, but you'd think with all the death and destruction they've seen that they'd pray to someone. ANYWAY, please review and inspire me! Keep reading! Thanks, Cayla.


	10. What Now?

**Disclaimer's**: Don't own them, so don't sue me!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue woke up the next morning with a migraine. Now, this wasn't just your everyday average migraine, or the kind you get when you've had too much to drink. This was a **_MIGRAINE_**!!!!

Damn, she thought. She swung her legs out of bed and watched the world spin around for a few seconds. When that stopped, she got dressed quietly, leaving Logan sleep, and wandered down to the Infirmary.

"Good morning, Rogue," Beast said, "What brings you here this morning?"

"I have a migraine," Rogue said, "I think my head is going to explode. It's making me dizzy and nauseous."

"Well," Beast said, "With all the tension around here, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone, especially you and Nikki, got more headaches. What would you prefer, Aspirin, Tylenol, or Advil?"

"Um, is there anything stronger?" Rogue asked. Her vision was going blurry.

Beast looked at her and said, "That bad?"

"Yeah."

Beast walked over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle. He handed her 2 pills, "Here, take these."

"What are they?" Rogue asked.

"Tylenol Codeine," Beats said, "The strongest I'm allowed to give you."  
Rogue swallowed them, "Thanks. Can I take the bottle with me, or should I come back when I need another 2?"

Beast smiled, "No, my dear lady. 2 a day is all you can have. These are **VERY **strong. I suspect you should get to bed and try to sleep them off."

Rogue gave him a look, "I wanted something that would stop the pain, not knock me out!"

"Sorry, my dear," Beast said, "But this will do both."

"Thanks," Rogue said. She headed back to her room and bumped right into Logan.

"What's up, Darlin'?" he asked.

"I'm headed back to bed," Rogue said, "I had a migraine and Beast gave me something. He said it might put me to sleep, though, so I'm going to bed."

Wolverine's face had an odd look on it, "Why do you have migraines?"

"Beast thinks it's a tension headache," Rogue said, "He's probably right. You could cut the tension here with a knife."

Logan leaned over a kissed her forehead, "Go back to bed. I take you aren't going to eat breakfast?"

"Right," Rogue said. She wandered into her own bedroom and curled up. She fell right to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wolverine raced to the Infirmary, "Hank, what's wrong with Rogue?"

Beast looked at him, surprised, "Did she not tell you? She had a migraine so I gave her something and prescribed some bed rest. What's wrong?"

"She smells funny," Logan said.

"Well, that's hardly a nice thing to say," Beast said, "I for one think she smells quite nice."

"No," Wolverine said, "I don't mean she smells _bad_, I mean she smells _different_. There's something wrong with her scent. Migraines don't change a person's scent, no matter how bad they are. I think she may be sick."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Beast said, "With all of the emotional problems around here, I think the whole Mansion is fixing for a case of the flu or strep throat."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked.

"Well," Beast said, "When people get emotionally distraught or upset, their bodies react to it. No one around here is taking very good care of themselves. Everyone's too busy worrying. When you don't take proper care of yourself, your immune system wears down and you're 43% more likely to get sick. I think Rogue and Nikki are our 2 prime candidates for that."

"It wasn't a familiar smell," Logan said "If she was getting the flu or strep throat, I would know it. That smell I know. I can't place this smell at all. I'm worried."

"My friend," Beast said, "What are you suggesting? That Rogue has a new kind of disease?"

"No," Logan said, "Just one I've never smelled before. I've been around here when the students were sick and I recognize the smells of the more common problems. Rogue doesn't smell like any of them."

Beast sighed, "And what can we do about it? You say you don't recognize the problem, therefore, how would we know how to treat it?"

"Can't you run tests on her or something?" Logan asked.

"Not until we can recognize a more serious problem," Beast said, "I need to know what tests to run." He paused, "Logan, you love Rogue, correct?"

"Yes," Logan said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Let's also take into effect that you, considering you have slept with her, know her scent very well," Beast continued.

Logan blushed, but said, "Yes."

"And you would notice even the slightest change in her smell?" Beast asked.

"**_YES_**!" Logan yelled.

"Well, if you'd notice such a miniscule change, did you ever stop to think that maybe that's what it is?" Beast asked, "A slight change in her hormones due to stress and worry? It would make her smell different and of course you wouldn't recognize it because it's intermixed with her own personal smell. No one else could smell like that."

Logan said nothing. Beast went on, "Until Rogue complains of anything more serious than a migraine, there's nothing we can do until we know what to test for."

"You know how everyone in the world might be wiped out?" Logan asked.

"Who doesn't around here?" Beast asked.

"What if it's a plague?" Logan asked.

"If Rogue has a plague," Beast said seriously, "There wouldn't be anything we could do about it, except pray that whatever it is doesn't spread beyond this Mansion."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue was woken up at 12:43 by someone knocking on her door. She grumbled and opened her eyes, "Come in!"

Jean opened the door, "Rogue, it's lunch time. You need to eat now. You didn't have breakfast."

"I can't," Rogue said "I feel terrible. I can barely move. Food is bad right now."

"You need to eat to build up your defenses against germs," Jean said, "You don't need to get seriously sick."

Rogue rolled over and said, "Go away!"

"Nope," Jean said, "My son used to pull this on me all the time when he didn't want to go to school. And this is how I handled it," Jean scooped Rogue up telepathically and stood her upright, "Now you can either stand up or fall over on the floor. Which will it be?"

Rogue forced her knees to lock up and support her. The room spun a few times, then settled down, "Where's your son staying while you're here?"

"With his best friend," Jean said, "They know about his telepathic abilities, so he'll be fine."

"What's his name?" Rogue asked, "You don't really talk about him much."

"Nathaniel," Jean said, "He's a good kid."

"How old is he?"

"17," Jean said.

"Makes you feel old, huh?" Rogue said.

"Yeah," Jean replied, "Scott especially. We all got old when we left the X-Men. We'd better get down to lunch before Logan comes up here after you."

"I can't stand the way he mother hen's me," Rogue murmured, "He's a pain in my ass."

"All men are pains in the ass," Jean said, "The ones who love you are even worse."

"I guess he must love me," Rogue sighed, "What **will** we do with that Wolverine?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*Gasp!* Is it possible that Rogue might have a plague that could cause the end of the world? Not telling! You'll find out soon enough! I'll just make you suffer a little bit! Keep reading!


	11. A Plague...?

**Disclaimer's**: Again, with the don't sue me....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wolverine watched Rogue like a hawk for the next 2 days. Rogue threatened twice to turn her power-negating bracelet off and go after him if he asked her how she felt 1 more time. Nothing worked and Logan was starting to think he'd been a paranoid delusional jackass until...

Rogue got up to go to the bathroom after a Danger Room simulation and said, "Whoa. Head rush."

She fainted at Jean's feet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Dammit!" Logan said, "Why is this taking so long?"

"Give me time, man!" Hank said, "There are many things to look into with this!"

Since Rogue was unconscious, Beast decided to start running some tests on her. Everyone was crowded into the hallway outside the Infirmary waiting for the results.

Beast had drawn some of Rogue's blood and was now testing it for pretty much every known illness that had been discovered.

"Won't do you any good, Hank," Logan said, "I don't think it's been discovered yet. I'd recognize it."

"Logan," Hank said, losing his patience, "Have you ever smelled a man with diphtheria?" 

"No," Logan said.

"Then you wouldn't recognize it!" Beast said, "Let me do my job!" He shut the door and hadn't been out in about 10 minutes, hence Logan's impatience.

Beast's head popped out the door, "She's awake and asking for Logan."

Wolverine jumped up and raced into the room. Hank stayed outside the door a moment, "I've ruled out brain tumor, typhoid fever, and quite a few other nasty ailments. Most of the most dangerous one known to man have been ruled out, including all types of the bubonic plague and cancer." He went back inside to tell this to Logan and Rogue.

"What does that mean?" Nikki asked.

"Well, angel," Gambit said, "It means that while Rogue don't have most of the deadly diseases we know about, she could very well die of something new."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Beast came out almost an hour later, looking bewildered, "I've tested for everything I know of and nothing!"

"It could be something we don't know about, bub," Logan said. All the X-Men were gathered in Rogue's room. What the heck, if she had a plague, most likely they all had it already.

"But her blood cells are normal," Hank said, "You can't have a major disease without having some abnormality in your blood."

"You my have missed the abnormality, considering you don't know what kind of abnormality to look for," Jean pointed out.

"I'm fine," Rogue said, "I just got dizzy."

Everyone ignored her and went right on talking about the plague she was possibly carrying.

"Logan, I'm fine," she said.

"Whatever you, Darlin'," Logan said, and went right back to arguing with Beast about the possibility if some rare kind disease.

"I'M FINE!" Rogue screamed.

Everyone looked at her.

"Maybe you should test her estrogen levels," Logan said, "This could all be the cause of a very bad form of PMS. She certainly is cranky enough."

Everyone laughed except for Rogue, "That's not funny! I'm not PMSing, I was just a little dizzy! Why are you all convinced I have some odd kind of disease?"

Logan and Beast told her about their how a plague was going to wipe out the whole world theory.

"**_That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of_**!" Rogue yelled, "Being dizzy and having migraines doesn't mean I'm dying or have the plague!"

"Yes, but the fact that you've been passing out, throwing up, and having sudden temperature spikes might," Beast said, "Why don't we keep looking?"

"I don't want you to keep looking," Rogue said, "You're making my head hurt!"

"Maybe if you wouldn't scream so much, your head wouldn't hurt," Gambit suggested.

Rogue shot him a murderous look, "I do not have the plague. There is probably a reasonable explanation for all of this. Who knows, maybe I **am **PMSing. I should be due soon, so why doesn't everyone **_leave me alone_**?"

Jean all of a sudden grabbed Beast's arm and said, "Why don't we take a walk and see what other possibilities there are? We'll give her a chance to cool down. Being upset can't possibly help her, whatever it is she has. I have an idea..." They walked out the door.

Rogue gave Logan a look, "I can't believe you didn't tell me that you thought I had a plague!"

"Well, Darlin'," Logan said, "What good would it have done? You weren't showing very many symptoms yet and I didn't think you needed to be worrying about it."

"Don't 'Darlin'' me!" Rogue said, "You still should've told me! It's my body that might be infected!"

"I thought you said you didn't have a plague," Nikki said.

"**_I DON'T_**!!!" Rogue yelled, "But he thinks I do!" She pointed a finger at Logan.

"Hey, now, guys," Jubilee started to say, when Beast and Jean came back into the room. Beast was laughing.

"Well, everyone, if this next test proves out to be positive, you can all laugh at me and Logan. We might be the biggest jackasses on the face of this planet!" Beast said.

"Hey!" Logan said, "I want to know what going on before anyone calls me a jackass!"

"Wait until I'm done running this one last test," Beast said.

Jean was smiling, "I think all of you might like this possibility better."

"What is it?" Rogue asked. Anything that made Logan a jackass right now would be nice, even if it wasn't the right diagnosis.

"You'll see if it's right," Jean said.

10 minutes later, Beast came back into Rogue's part of the Infirmary, "Everyone but Logan, Rogue, and Jean out. They can tell you later if they wish."

Everyone walked out of the room, mystified. The door closed behind them.

"Rogue, Jean," Beast said, "Call us the jackasses. You were right, Jean. I can't believe I looked over this solution! Well, yes I can. The fact that Rogue's powers still exist beneath the surface of her skin could have made this impossible, but somehow, everything seems to be in perfect order!"

Jean was smiling, "What did I tell you? There are other things besides diseases that you can have symptoms for."

"Um, hello?" Rogue said, "Down here, on the bed? Logan and I would like to know what's going on. I doubt it's the plague. You all look too happy, unless of course you'd _like _me to die."

"Hardly," Beast said, "You are quite at the other end of the spectrum from death."

"Thank God," Logan said, "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Beast said, "She is quite healthy and it's a good thing, too. Now is not the time for her to be sick."

"Yeah," Rogue said as she sat up, "I need to fight the end of the world."

"Maybe not," Hank said, "I wouldn't recommend heavy activity right now. That wouldn't be good for you or the baby."

"Well," Logan said, "Of course we don't want to hurt her or the-----**_WHAT_**!?!?!?!"

"Did he--" Rogue looked at Jean, "He said--"

"Yes," Jean said, "That's all it was. Rogue, you're pregnant."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I don't know if I fooled any of you people reading this, but I fooled my Mom. Rogue does not have the plague, Thank God. She has something better, in a way, I mean, if you like kids! What next? Keep reading!


	12. What The Hell?

**Disclaimer's**: I don't own them, so don't sue me.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What?" Logan said.

"She's pregnant," Jean said. He looked ready to faint. So had Scott. He'd get over it.

"Like, a baby?" Logan said stupidly.

"Yes," Beast said, "Like a baby."

Logan sat down on Rogue's bad with a thump. At least he was still conscious. Scott had fallen to the ground in a dead faint.

Rogue didn't say anything. She just looked simply amazed.

"I'm going to have a kid," Logan said.

"Yes," Rogue said, "We're going to have a kid." She was smiling at his reaction. So was Jean.

Logan nodded calmly. Too calmly...

All of a sudden, he jumped up, "**I'm going to have a kid**! God, what if I'm a bad Father? **_What if I break the baby_**?"

"Kids are kinda hard to break, sugar," Rogue said. She and Jean exchanged a 'Aren't men the funniest things?' look.

As Logan paced the room, Beast said, "Rogue, you need to listen carefully. The reason that I thought this was impossible, even though you can touch people is: The baby is inside of you, where your powers are stored. The baby should be dead," Rogue and Logan's heads snapped around, "Oh, don't look so worried. The baby should be, but it isn't and I think I know why. It must have some of Logan's unchartered regenerative powers. That, combined with the fact that your powers are docile right now has enabled you to have a baby. The odds of that combination are about 10,000 to 1."

"So, what are you saying?" Rogue asked "This is probably our only chance?"

Beast sighed and said, "Probably. Any other attempt would end in a swift miscarriage."

Rogue and Jean exchanged a look. Jean understood how devastating this had to be for Rogue.

Beast continued, "You need to try to help maintain this delicate balance. You **must **leave that bracelet on and you **must not **obtain any serious injuries. Therefore, I don't think you should do any fighting, Danger Room, battlefield, etcetera."

"Don't worry," Jean said, "I'm sure the Team will be just fine without you. We have Nikki. She makes up for you not being there. Worrying won't help, either."

"Right," Beast said, "You have to stay relaxed and clam as much as possible. We don't know how steady the baby's balance is, but chances are, it's pretty precarious."

Logan spoke, "Then it's a lost cause."

"No," Beast said, "She just needs to--"

Logan cut in, "She needs to stay calm and can't fight. The end of the world is coming, Beast. There's no way she can avoid it. This isn't something we can keep from effecting her. Rogue has even stated that the tension around here could be cut with a knife. That isn't something we can help, either. It's a lost cause."

Rogue could feel her eyes well up with tears. Why was he being so hopeless? Jean put her hand on Rogue's shoulder. There was always hope, wasn't there?

Logan turned to Rogue. He could see the tears in her eyes, but maybe that was just the mirror of his own, "Darlin', I'm sorry, but this **is **a lost cause. Maybe, just **_maybe_**, we can get through this alive, but with the baby intact? I don't think it'll happen. I don't want you to get your hopes up."

Jean said, "Logan, you said there isn't a chance, but even if there isn't, shouldn't you at least **try **to be hopeful? You're upsetting her and that won't help, either."

Logan looked away, "I don't want you to get hurt, Rogue."

"Then stop hurting me," Rogue whispered.

Logan walked out of the room and out the door. He needed to think about this some more.

Jean sat down on the bed next to Rogue and out her arm around her shoulder, "Don't cry. Don't lose the baby before you have to. Have hope."

"There is no more hope," Rogue whispered, "My hope just walked out the door."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jean helped Rogue go back to her room and lay down, "Try to sleep. You might feel better when you wake up."

She went back to the Infirmary to help Beast clean up and ran into the Professor.

"What's going on, Jean?" The Professor asked, "I know you were trying to see what was wrong with Rogue and now I sense that she's in great mental distress. She's thrown up walls around her mind and I don't want to break through them. Is she sick?"

Jean told Professor the whole story. The Professor sighed, "And to think there isn't a good chance for the baby to make it. Fate has an awful way of rearing its' head when you least want it to. No wonder Logan's so upset."

"Where is Logan?" Jean asked.

"Out in the woods," The Professor said, "Where else does he go when he has nowhere else to go?"

Jean sighed, "He has no hope. He's trying to be realistic, I guess. He doesn't want Rogue to get her hopes up."

"He doesn't want to get his hopes up, either," The Professor said, "He doesn't want to break down and cry whenever she starts crying. He wants to be the strong one."

"There's strong and then there's wrong," Jean said, "He needs to be able to cry with her. She needs him. She needs hope."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue didn't sleep. Jean said she'd come get her for supper, so she spent the time praying. She hadn't really prayed since she left Remy in Antarctica, but she figured she should start now. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jean, Beast and The Professor told the others what was going on. The response was shocked.

"You mean, there's no way she can have this baby and there's no chance of trying again?" Jubilee asked, "Man, that's cruel."

"What I don't get," Nikki said, "Is why she has to lose this one. Can't we send her somewhere out of the line of fire?"

"We don't know where the end will strike first," Gambit said, "We'd be sending her out into danger."

"Oh."

"Is there someplace here that she'd be safe in?" Scott asked the Professor, "Maybe if we out her in the Danger Room, she could activate it if the danger came her way. I mean, if we didn't stop it from entering the house."

They heard the door slam, "Why are you even trying?" Wolverine said as he walked past the room. His eyes were red and swollen, "When I think we're out of options, you know the situation's bad." He walked down the hall leaving shocked and saddened X-Men in his wake.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A knock came on Rogue's door in the middle of what seemed like her 274 Hail Mary, "Come in." she called. She figured it was Jean coming to tell her that supper was ready so she stood as...

Wolverine walked through the door.

"Go away," she said, "I don't want to talk right now."

"Neither do I," he said, "But I think we'd better." He sat down on the bed, "Where's your Southern hospitality?"

"I left it in Georgia," Rogue said.

"I left my manners wherever in Canada they had me when they experimented on me," Logan said, "So I guess we're even, if we were going to fight, but we aren't. I don't want you to hurt the baby."

Rogue stared at him, "It'll just die anyway," she said bitterly, "So why try to protect it?"

"Because we want this baby," Logan said simply, "It doesn't matter if it makes it or not, it's still ours. I never said we shouldn't try, I just don't want you to hurt yourself by getting your hopes up."

"I have no hope," Rogue said hollowly.

"Then that's why were you praying to Saint Jude, huh?" Wolverine asked, "Isn't he the Saint of Hopeless Causes?"

Rogue blushed, "Figured it couldn't hurt."

"Then I guess you still have hope," Logan said, looking her in the eye, "That's good."

"I didn't have hope until you walked through the door," Rogue said, "You are my hope."

"Why?"

"You were the only one who could make me feel better when I thought Remy was dead. You never gave up on me," Rogue said, "You were always the one who yelled to keep fighting when Scott and Storm wanted to retreat. You never gave up on something that you thought could happen. That's why I lost hope. When you lose hope, everything's gone."

Logan looked at her and said, "I'm your hope?"

"You're my hope," Rogue said.

"Then I hope I don't let you down," Logan replied. He lightly kissed her forehead.

"You came back when I thought you were gone," Rogue said, "You could never let me down. I get the feeling you'll always come back."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, what do you think? Did it suck? I hope not. I want this to be a dramatic story with a heart-wrenching ending. Am I doing a good job so far? Keep reading, please!


	13. It's The End of the World as We Know It

**Disclaimer's**: Don't own 'em...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rogue was tired. Not physically tired, (even though she had had her share of that at times) but sick and tired (not morning sickness, but again, she had been that before). She was sick and tired of everyone treating her like she was going to fall apart. She was lucky if she was allowed to walk up the steps.

"Put me down, you canucklehead!" she yelled at Logan, I can walk **just fine **by myself!"

Logan had then preceded to give her a big, long lecture on how she wasn't supposed to do too much physical activity. Rogue knew it was useless arguing with him, so she shut up and allowed herself to be carried up the stairs to her and Logan's room.

Logan put her on the bed, kissed her, and went back downstairs. Rogue glared at the door as he closed it, "I almost wish the world would end just to keep him occupied with something other than me."

Be careful what you wish for,,,

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Scott and Jean were downstairs with the others, trying to watch a movie. It wasn't a very good movie, so sooner or later, the others all drifted off to go somewhere else. Scott and Jean stayed on the couch.

"You know how we've been using the original teams from when we all fought before?" Scott asked.

"Yes," Jean said.

"I'm taking Logan off the A Team," Scott said, "The Professor thinks we'd better."

"Why?" Jean asked, "He's certainly the best fighter we have. He's been training al these years that we haven't been doing anything more than rearranging our furniture."

"I know," Scott said, "But right now our only goal isn't to beat the end of the world. We need to try to keep Rogue's baby intact. Having Logan out of the immediate danger will help that. She'd lose the baby anyway if we won, but Logan died or was seriously hurt. Shock would take her down quickly."

"You're right," Jean said, "So, what are the teams now?"

"You, me, Beast, Gambit, A Team. Logan, Jubilee, Nikki, the Professor if need be, B Team," Scott said.

"You might not want to tell Logan about this until closer to the end," Jean said, "It would insult his pride."

"We don't know when the end is going to be," Scott said, "So we'd better tell him tomorrow in the Danger Room."

"All right," Jean said, "But you can tell him. I dislike arguing with people who are always convinced that they know best."

"So do I," Scott said, "Why do you think I never argue with you?"  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan was not too happy about his new team position.

"That's out of the question, Cyke," Logan said.

"Look, that's not the only reason," Cyclops said, "We also need someone to look out for the rookies. You can make sure that Jubes and Nikki don't get themselves killed to early in the game."

"It's still out of the question," Logan said, "You're doing this for the wrong reasons."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cyclops asked.

"Look, you did this to keep me out of the line of fire, making my chances of injury or death slim to none so Rogue won't lose the baby. My main priority isn't for Rogue to keep the baby, it's to keep everyone alive. It would be better to put me on the A Team. We all fight better together. I want to keep Rogue alive and if the baby makes it, fantastic, but I would die if it meant keeping her alive. The baby is on the bottom of my list."

Cyclops looked at him and said, "If the Professor says that's OK, then, I guess you're back on the A Team."

The Professor looked at Logan and said, "It's not my choice to make."

"Thanks," Logan said, "I already made my choice."

"Maybe it's not yours either," The Professor said, "I think the one person everyone neglected to let decide was Rogue."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After Logan had explained the situation to Rogue, she looked at him, "Why did you ask me? You know what you want to do. Do it, for God's Sakes."

"So, you mean it's OK with you to put me in the line of fire?" Logan asked. This hadn't been so hard...

"No," Rogue said, "It's not **_OK_**, but it's what you want and really, it's your decision. Do what you want."

"Rogue," Logan said, "If you don't want me to¾"

"**Would you just do it**?" Rogue screamed, "**Of course I don't _want _you to, but if we want to win this, there's a good possibility of you dying no matter what! Just do it**!" She burst into tears.

Damn! Logan thought. Out loud, he said, "Rogue, please don't cry like that. It's not good for you right now. Please?"

Rogue just rolled over so she was facing the wall. Logan leaned down and kissed her cheek, "I'll see you in about an hour."

Rogue just kept crying.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Everyone left Rogue alone for the rest of the afternoon. They all figured that she needed some time to accept this and would feel much better after a good cry. Well, at least that's what the women thought. Jean smacked both Gambit and Cyclops when she caught them mouthing the words "pregnant mood swings" to each other.

Wolverine walked over to Cyclops and said, "A Team." He then walked away.

"Why is he such a jackass?" Scott murmured to himself, "Even though Rogue said to go ahead, I think she meant anything but....."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Logan went up to bed that night, Rogue was in the shower. That meant he had about 20 minutes of down time that he intended to use to relax. Rogue was right about the tension. Even Jubilee was getting crabby and she was usually the cockeyed optimist.

After awhile, Rogue came out of the shower in her pajamas. She sat down on the bed next to Logan and said, "I'm sorry."

He looked at her, "It's OK, darlin'. I think everyone around here is a little tense. You have more right to be than anyone else."

"I acted like a spoiled rotten brat," she said, "Which is all your fault for spoiling me but¾"

"Come here," Logan said. He leaned in to kiss her when...

"Everyone!" Jubilee's voice yelled, "Come look at this!"

Everyone raced down the hall to Jubilee's room. They found her watching the 6 o'clock news.

"Listen," she said. She turned the volume up...

**_Ladies and gentlemen, never in all my years of working here have I seen anything like this! Fires have broken out in every major forest across North and South America. Monsoons have attacked Asia. Millions are in Africa where droughts and famine are of record breaking proportions. Tidal waves, tornadoes, and more are sweeping across island countries and it won't stop raining in England. Scientists have reported new holes growing in the ozone layer that are causing temperatures to rise to scorching in the rainforests and deserts across the world. Religious fanatics are walking the streets talking about Judgment Day. Mobs and riots are everywhere. Animals dropping dead everywhere for unknown reasons. What is going on here? This is Mike Lerner signing off...._**

"It's starting," Rogue said.

"We could really use Mom now to fight the weather," Nikki said, "I wish I knew where she was."

"Yeah, well, a Weather Witch wouldn't do much good against holes in the ozone layer and rampaging animals," Logan said.

"How do we fight this?" Rogue asked.

"I don't think we can," Nikki said, "I think we might all die."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well, how was that? I hope this isn't sucking. The major action is coming up! Stay tuned!


	14. The Surprise

**Disclaimer's**: Do we really have to keep doing this? By now, I'm sure all of you are dying for me to get to "The End Of The World," so here you go. The first chapter that will have a tad of violence... I think.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The mansion split in 2. Well, at least, that's what it sounded like. Rogue screamed and was terrified to realize that she couldn't hear herself. At first, she thought she'd gone deaf, but then realized that it was just the aftershock.

When her ears cleared, she realized Logan was screaming at her. She had fallen out of bed when the shock wave had hit. Her first thought was 'I'm alive' and the second one was 'Logan is, too' and the third was 'What about the others?' and then, 'What about the baby?'. Fortunately, she could hear the others yelling, too. That just left the baby. She didn't feel any different, though. That was a good sign.

"Rogue, answer me!" came Logan's voice.

Oops. She had been so lost in thought that she had forgotten about Logan screaming for her, "I'm OK."

He rolled off the bed and sat on the floor next to her, "Thank God. I was worried."

"I'm fine," Rogue insisted, "And I'm pretty sure the baby is, too. Shouldn't we check on the others?"

Logan helped pull her to her feet and they ran out to the hallway. The others were standing in a daze.

"There you are!" Jean said, "You were the only 2 not here. We were just headed for your room."

"What happened?" Nikki asked.

"Earthquake," Scott said, "And a damn big 1, too."

"Yeah," Gambit said, "We don't get earthquakes like that in New York."

"I guess the effects of the Apocalypse are starting to effect us, too," Jubilee said.

**_RUMBLE_**!!!

Everyone fell down again as another shock wave hit them. Logan caught Rogue as she started to go down. Having metal bones made you a bit more sturdy.

The others picked themselves up, only to fall down again. The Professor's wheelchair was on its side and Beast was trying to stand it back up.

"What's happening?" Nikki asked.

No one could tell her. They were all wondering the same question. Another shock wave hit them. Even with Logan holding her up, Rogue felt her knees give out and she started to slump to the floor.

"Damn it!" Wolverine said, getting a better grip on her.

**_RUMBLE_**!!

"Daddy, what's happening?" Nikki cried.

"I don' know, angel," Gambit said, "Maybe it be over soon."

"Or maybe it's just beginning," Rogue whispered, but no one could hear her over the commotion. Maybe that was best...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What do we do now?" Jubilee asked.

They were all gathered in the Danger Room, the only room that wasn't covered in debris.

"Stay here," Jean said, "This is a reinforced steel room. It will take a lot to get through here."

"We obviously can't fight off earthquakes," Beast said, "Nikki, have you had no more premonitions?"

"No," Nikki said miserably.

"Don't feel bad," The Professor said, "You can't control them. We'll figure out what to do."

"As I said," Beast repeated, "We can't fight off earthquakes. The best thing we could do would be stay put until the danger passes, or..." His voice trailed off.

"Or," Rogue said, "Until we die."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How long have we been in here?" Nikki asked.

The guys all started fumbling to try to look at their watches, "About 2 hours," Scott said, "Why?"

"Just wondering," she said, "It's.... crowded in here."

"You claustrophobic?" Jubilee asked.

"A little."

"So was your Mom," Jean said.

"I know," Nikki said. She curled her knees up to her chin, "I wish she were here." She suddenly looked very young, "I don't want to... die without seeing her again. Maybe she's already dead."

No one spoke until Gambit said, "So when do we start telling the ghost stories?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Come on!" he said, "Every good slumber party has ghost stories! Then we do each others hair and make-up, no?"

Jean, who was closest, smacked him.

"What?" he asked, "What did I do?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

" I can't take this anymore!" Rogue said.

Everyone looked at her and Logan said calmly, "Well, what do you propose we do to pass the time, darlin'? Have a staring contest?"

"No," she said, "But please. let's do something. Talk, sing, start a chorus line, **_anything_**! I hate having nothing to do."

"We've been talking," Jean pointed out.

"Well, yeah, about death and destruction," Rogue said, "Maybe we should tell a ghost story." She got up and started pacing the room. 

After about 5 minutes, Logan said, "You're making me dizzy, darlin'. Why don't you sit down?"

"I don't want to," Rogue said, "I'm tired of sitting-"

**_RUMBLE_**!!!

The shaking wasn't quite as bad in the Danger Room, but it was still bad enough. Logan dove across the floor and caught Rogue as she went flying.

"Now, I think you'd better sit," he said. Rogue obeyed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"The sun should be out," Nikki said.

"So?" Jubilee said.

"And we haven't had a quake in 20 minutes," Nikki said.

"So?" Jubilee said again.

"Well, maybe we should at least look out a window and see if there's anything left," Nikki said.

"That's a good idea," Scott said, "Will the A Team please assemble and head-"

"Uh-uh," Nikki said, "None of that A Team, B Team crap. I want to see, too."

"Fine," Cyclops said.

Everyone cautiously exited the Danger Room and headed for the front door which was amazingly still intact.

"I thought we were just going to look out the window," Jubilee said.

"A doorway is one of the safest places to be in an earthquake," Jean said, "Don't worry."

Scott opened the front door. Nothing looked disturbed. No trees were uprooted or anything. It was only the area surrounding the mansion that had been affected.

"That's not possible," Beast said.

"What are those?" Nikki asked. There were black scorch marks all around the mansion.

"Where did those come from?" Jean asked, "There couldn't have been a fire without us knowing it. We would've seen it last night, wouldn't we have?"

"Maybe those marks are from what caused the earthquake," Nikki said.

"It wasn't an earthquake," Wolverine said, "It was just someone shaking the building. On purpose."

"Are they still here?" Nikki asked.

"Don't know," Wolverine said, "All I smell is burning."

"But there wasn't a fire!" Jean said.

"It was lightning," Rogue said, "Lightning was hitting the ground and causing tremors."

"But how could lightning hit only by the mansion?" Beast asked.

"Oh, God," Rogue said.

"What?" Cyclops said.

"What mutant do we know of that can throw lightning," Rogue asked. She felt numb.

"No," Gambit said.

"I hope I'm wrong," Rogue said.

Nikki caught on, "Mommy wouldn't!"

"Oh, but Mommy would," A new voice came from above their heads. Storm floated down to the ground, "Hello, everyone. Did you miss me?"

"Stormy," Gambit said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Did you guys guess that was going to happen? I tried not to give you too many clues, but I had to say a few things to lead up to this. I hope you like the twist. You'll find out the reasons behind this in the next chapter. I'd say we've got maybe 4 more chapters to go before the end. Stay tuned!


	15. A Little Chat

**Disclaimer's**: *Sigh*, must we do this every time? Oh well, I certainly hope that no one here hates me for making Storm the bad one. It just works **_SO _**well!

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"Hello, everyone!" Storm said, "And please, do not call me Stormy. It implies a sign of affection, and believe me, I hold no affection for you, Gambit." She looked at everyone, "Or any of you, really."

"Mommy?" Nikki said, "What happened to you?"

"Nothing really, angel," Storm said, "I'd really appreciate it if you'd please go back into the Mansion now. I'd hate for you to get in the way of this."

"In the way of what?" Nikki asked. Her eyes were filled with terror, "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," Storm said, "I'd just like to have some grown up discussions with the X-Men, if you don't mind. It's really not something for a child to hear."

"I'm not a child," Nikki said, "And I'm an X-Men, too."

"You are also my daughter and you will obey your mother," Storm said, "Now go inside."

"She's my daughter, too," Gambit said, "And I think she's old enough to handle whatever you're going to say."

"Don't be difficult, Gambit," Storm said, "I merely don't want to discuss certain things in front of her. You surely don't want her to... get hurt by it, do you?"

Gambit stared at Storm and then said, "Go inside, angel. We call you when you can come out."

"One of us will, at least," Storm said.

"Daddy?" Nikki said.

"Go on, angel," Gambit said.

"But-"

"Obey your mother!" Storm yelled. A gust of wind blew Nikki into the Mansion through the open door and slammed the door shut behind her. 

"Jean?" Storm said.

All of the others had been silent until now, when Jean said, "Yes, Storm?"

"Would you please lock the door so that Nikki can't come out?" Storm asked. Jean started to move, and Storm said, "No, no, please use your telekinesis. It would be so much quicker and I don't have much time to chat."

Jean closed her eyes and soon, through the quiet, everyone heard the dead bolt and the lock click.

"Thank you," Storm said.

"You're welcome," Jean answered.

"Come on, Storm, cut the crap," Wolverine said, "What do you want and why the hell are you causing all these problems?"

"Now Logan," Storm said, "Can't you be a little more patient? If you wouldn't interrupt, maybe we could speed this up a little. I'm sure Nikki doesn't want to spend any longer than she has to inside alone."

"Well, then maybe we should send someone in there to keep her company," Logan said, "If Jean would unlock the door, maybe Rogue and Jubilee would be nice enough to go inside so Nikki isn't so scared."

"I have no problems with Jubilee going inside if she wishes to," Storm said, "But I'd like to talk with Rogue, so I suppose she can just stay out here with all the others. I don't want my daughter to associate with her any more than necessary."

"Jubilee, would you like to go inside and keep Nikki company?" Logan asked. They all humored Storm as well as they could.

"I think I'd better stay out here for now," Jubilee said, "Maybe later on."

"Oh, no," Storm said, "This is the only time I'm offering."

"Then I guess I'll stay out here," Jubilee said.

"Suit yourself," Storm said.

"What did you want to talk about, Storm?" Scott asked.

"Ah, yes," Storm said, "Nothing really, just a few things I wanted to say before I kill you and take my daughter home."

"I don't think she want to go back with you if you kill her friends and father," Gambit said.

"Who said anything about killing her father?" Storm said, "You'll come back with us and we can be a happy family again, since the tramp will be out of the way."

**_She wants to kill me_**? Rogue thought.

"You know I couldn't do that," Gambit said.

"Then I suppose I'll kill you all, even Nikki," Storm said, "Do you still want to stay, Gambit? If it means your precious angel dying?"

Gambit just stared at her.

"I suppose we can let Nikki out then," Storm said. A gust of wind swept the door open, breaking the locks and sending Nikki flying through the air. Gambit caught her as she landed and put her down.

"Daddy?" she asked.

"I think we be getting ready to fight, angel," Gambit said, "Just remember, that's not Stormy, that's not your Mom. She's gone. This is someone we need to deal with now."

Nikki just nodded.

Logan said quietly to Rogue, "Go into the Mansion. Take Jubilee with you, and Nikki, too. They can fight her there, if she gets past us. Go now!" He lunged at Storm, who was standing about 10 feet to his right.

Rogue grabbed Nikki and Jubilee and ran towards the Mansion. The door flew closed in their faces. Storm had flown up out of Logan's reach and was now laughing.

"Doesn't Rogue want to face me?" Storm asked, "I can't imagine why. She could just take off that bracelet and knock me unconscious. Why doesn't she?"

"Rogue, Jubilee, Nikki, go now!" Jean yelled as her TK blew the door open again.

Storm stopped them dead in their tracks, "If you go inside, I suppose I'll have to collapse the house on you. At least out here, you'll have a fighting chance. Besides Rogue, we never got to talk about the issue here."

Rogue turned around and said, "All right, Storm, let's talk."

"First of all," Storm said, "Why is Logan so dead set against getting you away from me? I can't think of any reason. And why doesn't Gambit seem to care about you one way or the other? Or isn't that a power negating bracelet?"

"It is," Rogue said, "And Gambit and I aren't together. Logan and I are. That's why he wants me out of the line of fire."

No one could've looked more shocked than Storm, so Rogue went on.

"When I found Gambit, I realized he didn't matter that much to me anymore," Rogue said, "Logan did. It was never me you had to worry about taking Remy away. I didn't know he was still alive. You should've stayed married to him."

Bad thing to say.

A lightning bolt flew from Storm's fingers into the ground in front of Rogue. She fell down and watched another lightning bolt sizzle on Storm's fingers when...

Logan leapt at Storm and knocked her towards Cyclops as he shot an optic beam at her.

Rogue picked herself up as Storm dodged the beam. Jean flew up towards Storm, trying to hold her still.

"I'm not done talking yet," Storm said and flung Jean back to the ground, right into Scott.

"You still ruined my marriage," Storm said to Rogue, who was being held steady by Logan, "And the fact that you and Gambit didn't get together, the fact that my marriage ended for nothing, makes it that much worse!"

"Mommy, stop!" Nikki cried, "It's not her fault! It's your fault! You wanted Daddy to leave you so you could have an excuse to stay angry! Stop it!"

Wind spun Nikki into a wall. She fell to the ground, stunned.

Gambit ran towards her, but was stopped by lightning at his feet. He turned around and said, "Why you doin' this, Storm? You want to kill your daughter?"

"No," Storm said, "But I do want to kill you and Rogue, and since everyone else seems to want a piece of the action, them, too, but not Nikki."

"Then, why you hurting her?" Gambit asked.

"Because she loves you more than me and once I kill you, she'll hate me," Storm said, "There's no point in keeping her alive, now is there?"

Jubilee was pulling Nikki to her feet.

"Rogue," Logan said, "You need to get out of here."

"I can't," Rogue said, "I'll just try to stay out of the way."

Logan looked like he was about to argue, when Storm said, "What is it with you and getting Rogue away? I realize you can't want me to kill her, but this is a bit much."

"Go to Hell," Logan said. That was when it got ugly...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well? How was that? Just wait until you see the next chapter! I said things get ugly (and sad) for a reason, you know!


	16. The Battle

**Disclaimer's**: I have no comment on how this story turns out. When I write, I write the first good thing that comes to mind. This will be a surprise for me, too. 

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And the battle raged on.

The plans had now changed. Instead of an A Team and a B Team, it was pretty much whoever could get a shot at the crazy Weather Witch first.

Things weren't going to well. Now that Rogue couldn't take the power negating bracelet off, Jean was the only one who could fly, so Storm could dodge everyone rather easily. 

That's not to say that things were hopeless, just very difficult. Logan kept yelling at Rogue to get her and Nikki out of here.

Well, where the Hell am I supposed to go? Rogue thought, I don't want a house collapsed on me and getting struck by lightning every time I move isn't too appealing either.

Speaking of lightning, let's review the facts. Metal conducts electricity, therefore, The Professor in his wheelchair and Logan with his adamantium bones were in deep shit. Cyclops really couldn't use his powers, either. The only chance he had of hitting Storm was if Jean flew up there and held her still. That meant the risk of killing Jean, which was one he wouldn't take.

OK, so maybe things were a tad hopeless. Here's the action...

Rogue was trying to watch what was going on, but it was happening too fast. Lightning and optic blasts were flying through the air. Jean and Storm were also flying through the air. 

Gambit was attempting to use his bo staff to jump into the air. Again, not working so well. Too much risk of getting hit by something (or someone). 

The Professor and Jean were trying to freeze Storm with their TK powers. It worked... until a bolt of lightning happened to send Jean flying back to the ground into the Professor. Both fell, stunned, and the chair tipped over.

Beast, who was trying to right the chair and administer first aid, was hit with lightning. Frying fur doesn't smell good.

Wolverine, surprisingly, had made the most progress. If Storm lived, she would have one nasty scar on the side of her face.

Now that all the flying people were knocked out of the running, things had suddenly turned hopeless until..

"Stop it Stormy," Gambit said, "You had your fun. Now stop. I come home with you now."

"Daddy!" Nikki yelled, "Don't!"

"It hopeless now, angel. We go home now," Gambit said, "This is one thing maybe the X-Men can't win."

"We were never trained to hurt one of our own," Cyclops said, "But, she's hurt us. Gambit, as the leader, I command-"

Storm shot a lightning bolt at him. She only glanced it off of his shoulder, but Cyclops went down.

"It's such a shame," Storm said, "So many people had to get hurt before you saw it my way."

"Come down now," Gambit said, "We go home."

Storm flew herself down to the ground and walked slowly towards them, "I certainly hope Logan doesn't choose to attack me, Gambit," she said lightly, "We wouldn't want anyone else to get hurt, would we?"

"No, Stormy," Gambit said, closing in the distance so he stood right next to her. He had his hands in his pockets, "No one needs to get hurt... **_but you_**!" He flung a deck of charged cards straight at her. 

Storm flew up into the air. A whirlwind touched the ground and collected all the cards. They exploded into a gust of fire, which the wind fed. Storm sent the fire-filled tornado straight back at Gambit.

He barely managed to dodge it. He went rolling across the ground. As he lay there, Storm zapped him, knocking him unconscious. She used a small rain shower to put out the fire.

"He never was very bright," Storm said to Rogue Wolverine, and Nikki, "I really do want to kill Rogue, but I somehow don't think Logan will let me."

"Damn right," Logan said.

"I won't hurt Nikki," Storm continued, "Not unless I have to, so I think I'll knock the 2 of you out while I deal with Rogue. Then I will simply kill all of the X-Men while they're unconscious. You won't feel a thing, I'm sure. Then, Nicoletta, we will go home."

"I won't go home with you, Mommy," Nikki said.

"Oh, but you will," Storm said, "You'll be unconscious when I take you home. You won't even know you're going."

"Storm," Rogue said, "Isn't this a little drastic?"

"Wasn't leaving the only person I ever really loved in Antarctica a little drastic?" Storm yelled.

"You think I didn't feel guilty for that?" Rogue yelled, "I loved him, too, remember?"

"Not as much as I did," Storm said.

"How would you know?" Rogue asked.

"No one could love him like I did," Storm said, "He was mine!"

"No, he wasn't," Rogue said, "He wasn't yours. I don't think he was ever yours."

"**_And it's all your fault!_**" Storm yelled.

She sent lightning bolts into the ground beneath Rogue's feet. Logan dove and moved her just before the ground cracked open.

"You are going to be a problem," Storm said.

She quickly hit Nikki with a bolt of lightning and then turned to Logan, "I winder how long you can last? Those metal bones of yours will conduct my lightning, but that healing ability of yours... Well, I guess we'll just have to find out!"

Logan dove to the side, away from Rogue. He led Storm halfway across the yard, as far away from Rogue as he could manage, before she hit him.

It was a terrible thing to watch. Logan's body was twitching and his face was grimaced in pain. Cuts and boils from the heat opened on his body, almost instantly closing again. As Rogue watched, soon the cuts weren't healing quite as quickly as before. Storm was wearing him down.

Rogue stared at Logan's face and knew what she had to do. She started running. As she closed in the distance between them, she stared fumbling with the clasp on her bracelet.

The baby would die anyway, she thought, I'd be dead, and so would everyone else. Good-bye, baby. I hope you and your Daddy can forgive me...

She tore the bracelet off and flew up into the air. She immediately felt sick to her stomach, but tried to ignore it. Storm barely saw her coming.

She heard Logan below her, "No Rogue, no!"

She grabbed Storm by the neck and pulled her backwards. The lightning stopped and Logan fell to the ground. As Rogue held onto Storm, she saw his face start to heal up. She kept holding on and soon she felt Storm start to fade away into her mind.

Oh, God! Rogue thought, There's so much pain! Keep holding on and release her from her pain.

Storm went limp and the pulse beneath Rogue's fingers stopped. Rogue let go a moment later and flew the body down to the ground. She hit the ground hard and felt her strength drain from her.

Logan crawled over to her, "Oh, Rogue, why?"

"I didn't want you to die," she whispered, "Is everyone OK?"

"Jean and The Professor look like their waking up and so is Beast," he said, "Rogue, is she..."

"Yes," Rogue said.

Jean and Beast went to check on the others. Nikki was waking up. Her mother hadn't hit her barely hard enough to stun her. She flew over to Storm's body.

"Mommy?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nikki," Rogue said, trying to sit up. Logan pushed her back down and tried to put the bracelet back on.

"Maybe there's still a chance," he said, "We could still save the baby."

"I don't think so," Rogue said, "I don't feel too well."

Nikki got up and said, "It's OK. That wasn't my Mommy."

"I think I'd better rest," Rogue said. She passed out...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I'm so sorry, I suck at violence. I tried really hard to make it a good ending and I hope I haven't ruined the story. There's still one last chapter, so, maybe it will be better.


	17. When It's Over

**Disclaimer's**: I hope you all excused the crappy violence in the last chapter and will read the conclusion to Forgotten. It'll probably be a little shorter than the other chapters, but... Here you go.

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Rogue woke up surrounded by a sea of concerned faces. She was in the Infirmary and wasn't feeling very good at all. She still had Storm bouncing around in her head. She also felt... sore.

She struggled to sit up, only to be pushed down by Jean, Logan, and Beast. Her bracelet was back on, but looking at their faces, she didn't think it had helped.

"I lost it, didn't I?" she asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, darlin', you did," Logan said. He didn't look like he had suffered any ill side effects from the lightning, even though his eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm sorry," Rogue said.

"Don't be," Logan answered, "Thanks to you, we're all alive and feeling halfway decent."

"Where's Storm's..." Rogue trailed off.

"We'll take care of all of that later," Beast said, "Right now, you need your rest."

"But, I'm not sleepy!" Rogue said.

"We are!" Jubilee said, "I dislike being knocked unconscious. I think we all deserve a nap. You've been sleeping for the past 3 hours."

"All right," Rogue said, and fell asleep...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That was 2 years ago. Today, the Mansion is rebuilt and the X-Men, all of them, are there now. Scott and Jean brought their son, Nathan (aka Cable) to stay there. They even started taking in a few new students again.

Jean, Beast, Scott, and the Professor still teach all their old classes. Even Logan took one, phys ed. Nikki and Cable seem to like each other a lot, so, who knows? Maybe there will be another wedding coming up.

That's right, I said another. Rogue and Logan got married a little over a year ago. Nikki was a bridesmaid and The Professor gave Rogue away (as a joke, people said Gambit should've done it, but, oh well).

The best part would have to be Logan cutting the cake with his claws. We all knew he'd find a way to act up. 

But today, yes, today is a special day. Why?

Rogue's coming home from the hospital. 

With her daughter Makendra. 

They call her the Miracle Baby, because after all, the odds of her being born were 10,000 to 1.

Do you believe in miracles? Rogue did once, until her hope was **_forgotten _**in the far away country of Antarctica. She found it again in a rugged mountain man. She lost it from him, but then he gave it back. And now look!

She'll never let it be **_forgotten _**again...

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Well, what do you think? I like that ending...


End file.
